


On My Way

by dreamscapehoran



Category: None - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 04:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4005685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamscapehoran/pseuds/dreamscapehoran





	On My Way

Every winter, the town has this weird celebration in which we gather around the town hall and set up a big flame in the middle of the drained fountain. 

The fountain has aged a lot every year, the evidence lies upon its cracked marble structure. 

"Madeline, go get some more wood with Elliot at the backyard!" Mother yelled. 

Elliot is my brother, he's fifteen years old, making him three years older than me. Age gaps here in my town matters a lot. You can't talk to someone ten plus years old from your age easily. My town formed it's own 'code of ethics'. Which by means of that, you should be very polite to each and everyone else you tackle in this town. 

The elders are the very powerful ones in here, everyone wished to be an elder in a blink of an eye. Being an elder brings you all the privelege in this town. You will get the highest and best treatment in town. You will get the best food, the best home and best services. No one has the right to talk to an elder unless you are being summoned by them. The elders to runs the political committee, they decide on what to do and pick what job you can do. Of course children are excused from the job but they are obliged to atleast assist their parents.

My mother works for the clothing sector in Marley. While my father works as a woodsmith. My father's salary runs from thirty to forthy five gold coins quarterly, during peak seasons, when wood crafted supplies are on demand he goes home with eighty gold coins to a hundred. But it is still not enough to sustain our living, that is why my mother was obliged to have a job too. 

"Elliot! Mother sent me to help you" I shouted. Elliot has collected five chunks of lumber from the lumberjack. 

"Why did she sent you? You are not strong enough to help me lift these lumbers" he said.

"No! That is not true! I can lift two of them so you can easily lift the rest" 

Days like this is a normal day for us, bickering is always prominent when the both of us are together. Sometimes I am the one who is causing it but most of the time it is all about Elliot's stupid pride. He has been always proud that he is a man, that someday he will be part of the political committee. Women are always under rated in Marley. I do not know why but all I know we do not deserve this.

Elliot yanks his fist in mid-air and it lands on my left shoulder. I feel a swell of pain on my left shoulder. I freaked out and threw my hands in the air and targeted for his hair, luckily I am able to reach from my small height. I wiggled his head around, still holding his hair. He scream so loud, that my that lumberjack came running towards us to break the fight.

"Enough with this!" The lumberjack said, removing Elliot over my tumbled body.

After I regained my balance, the silence became so loud. Elliot, with a disappointed face, started lifting the lumber back to the town center. When he passed by, our vision met. He gave me the we-are-not-yet-finished look. 

He left me alone. The lumberjack went back to his job. I am here alone. Snowflakes are falling fron the sky rapidly, the wind is cold and tonight we will all share the warmth from a giant bonfire. 

-

Everyone has their own seat reserved. It changes yearly, last time we were in the east side of fountain sitting close to the elders. But now we were seated on the south part of the fountain. Luckily, mother went there early so we do not need to set a feud with the others because everyone wants to be close with the flames. 

Our town tradition was first done two decades ago. It is basically all about sharing the same warmth and thanksgiving. My father said that we need to do this because it is a sign of worship to God and everyone who does not attend this event will be called blasphemers and will be publicly executed. 

I sat between my mother and father, avoiding Elliot. My mother is wearing her thick bear-fur coat, I find it very warm and cozy so I bury my face on her coat. 

Everyone was in their respected seats when Sir Martin Glougher arrived. He is the head of the political committee, and he makes things legitimate in this town. He starts the celebration with our prayer and then the town code and finally his opening remarks. 

After his long speech the performances for this year's celebration were engaged. Someone sang a song, someone danced and someone prepared an entertaining skit. 

I was not really paying attention because what they are doing was a repetition of what happened last year. Instead, I look at the boy on the southwest side of the fountain. His purple beanie matches his blonde hair and he laughs so hard on that lame skit that was performed last year. I watch how his facial muscles contract as he laugh so hard. His skin is turning bright pink from laughing, I guess he is not that hard to make him laugh. 

After the skit, there was a dramatic play. And again it was from last year's celebration. The blonde boy seems so bored with what he is watching. He shifts his seat and his sight. He caught me staring at him. And I recoiled my eyes away from him and looked at those men putting more lumber at the fire. The fire grew, more heat for us. I feel my cheek warm as I try to look at him again and he is staring at me. Smiling.

I feel so embarassed.

"Would you want some of this chicken broth soup?" Mother asked.

"Sure" I take the bowl of soup in between my hands and try to cool it by blowing. I ignore the blonde boy but he is still staring at me, smiling. 

I can't help it but laugh. I let out a giggle and look at him again, he is raising his eyebrows up and down and making faces. I tell him with my mouth signals 'hi, I am Madeline' and he replies with something that I did not understand because it is already time to say our final prayer and say our wishes and desires for the next year. 

 

After the prayer, the crowd went home by mass. Everyone is walking in different directions, I lost the blond boy in my vision. I wonder where he lives? 

We went home and mother sent us to bed early, she said we are tired from today. She left the room and turned the light off. I shift my position facing the wall because I do not want to see Elliott's face. I can't stop think about that blonde boy. 

I wonder what is his name.

-

When I woke up Elliott was already up. I can not expect what set of horrendous words are set over my father's vocabulary to set my day on fire. Getting up late in the day seems like a mortal sin for my father. He always formulate reasons for Elliott to make an excuse for his mistakes and to get him a pass to not do any chores. Of course as the second child, all the unfinished chores will be transferred in my list. 

They never know how excruciating this is. I never said a thing on how I feel about everything.

I get up grab my hair brush and looked at the mirror. My hair looks very chaotic. I started combing my hair, straightening all those bushy hair stacked up my forehead, my ears and everywhere else on my face. 

When I went down my mother os already cooking our lunch. She does not say a thing so I went straight to the table to eat my breakfast. 

"Where is Elliot and father?" I asked.

"They are on a trip to Berkeley" she said.

"What? I always wanted to go there" I said. 

"But you were still asleep when they left" 

"Well you can just wake me up if you cared, and I know that you all know that I always wanted to go there" I am really disappointed with everyone right now. See how they are always on favor on Elliott's side. He does not wake up early, so the point is they woke him up early in the morning just for him to go with my father at berkeley.

"Young woman, how dare you address your mother like that?" Mother said. She is mad now. 

"No need to turn so belligerent over what I said mother, it is true right? That both of you are always in Elliott's side" I said. I can feel my tears falling from my eyes, not now. I do not need to cry, specially not infront of my mother. 

"That is not true Madeline! You are equally treated here-" 

"No mother, no. Stop proving what you believe in to, you do not know what I feel" I stand up from my seat and run outside of the house. I can hear my mother calling for me but I do not look back. I do not want to be back. I run as far as I can, not paying attention where I am going but I know I am far from home. 

I ended up in a frozen lake. I am alone and it is very cold, I have not put on a coat just my pink sweater. I did not know how much bravery that I have in me, I actually ran over the freezing snow on barefoot. My feet are numb from the cold snow. I sat over a rock beside the lake, I hug my legs and warm myself. I try on to settle my thoughts and cry out the pain inside. But every tear feels so afflictive. 

I survey the area, and no one is around. This is good, I can freeze out here and die without someone stopping me. From moderate snowfall the sky went aggressive it seems like we are having a blizzard today. I really feel very cold. I hug my legs so tight to cherish the heat left inside. Icicles form between my breathing holes and I can feel ice from the tears that dripped earlier. 

I close my eyes and listen pensively to the falling snow. 

I relax myself and think of nothing else. 

I am now freezing to death.

"Hey!" A voice across the lake roared. 

I opened my eyes to check on the man on the other side. I can not clearly see but it is a figure of a man.

"Hey!" He shouts again. 

I try to make an effort to shout back but my voice made a terrible hoarse.

"Hey! Why are you out here?" He is rushing towards me. 

"No..." I shout but my voice breaks again.

"What are you doing here? Are you killing yourself?" He grabs my arms and try to shake me.

"Yes..." I said but luckily he heard me.

"Come on! Let's go" he grabs my arms and lifted me up. He put me on his shoulders and started walking. He sure is really warm.

I feel like a glass now, any sudden movement will turn me into broken shards. I feel so weak, I have not ate yet and it is already pass noon. I closed my eyes and I hope it won't open again.

-

When I opened my eyes, I am in a room made of wood. Whose log cabin is this? Where am I? But it feels very warm and this bed feels very comfortable. I stand up and went straight to the window.

It is dark already. The blizzard is still over our town. I stare on the snow covered forest. I still feel very weak. I try to reach for the door but someone has turned the knob around and went in.

"Oh. You are already awake" a blonde girl, maybe in her twenty's went in. 

"Yes. Thank you so much for helping me. May I ask where am I?" I said. 

"Oh you are in my house, we are outside Merley and my brother found you freezing beside the lake" she said. She gives me hopeful smile.

"Oh he shouldn't bothered anyway, but thank you" I said. My head suddenly throbs, I am losing my balance but the blonde girl grabbed my arm and helped me.

"Let's just sit on the bed" she helps me get my body seated on the bed. "Oh sorry! Where are my manners? By the way my name is Maura" she sets her hand for a shake.

"My name is....Madeline" I accepted her politeness and shaked her hands. She feels very warm. Her personality is very warm, I wish I can be like her. 

"Why are you out in the snow though?" She asked.

I try to say a thing but my tears were to excited and they started to fall again. 

"It's okay" she pats my back. "You can stay here whenever you want" she lets out another hopeful smile.

"I'll be back to get you some food in the kitchen" she said and left the room. She is actually kind and I envy her, she looks very optimistic at everything. I wish I could be just like her, I can face things positively. 

"I'm back" she smiles at me and places the tray on the small table and pulled it infront of me.

"Thank you so much, you are very kind" I said. 

"You are always welcome, come on, eat it before the soup becomes cold" she said. 

I take the spoon on the left side of the tray and dipped it on the bowl filled with mushroom soup. The soup is still hot, judging by the vapor coming out from its surface. I move the spoon upwards, close to my lips and blew it gently to make sure it is not hot when I take it in. Maura looks fascinated on the way how I take this mushroom soup inside my mouth, she follows the trail of the spoon from the bowl to my mouth and smiles.

"Oh. Have you got your meal Maura?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I am just amazed by the way how you hold the spoon" she said. 

"What do you mean?" Is she making fun of me?

"Because your holding the edge of the spoon with three fingers and the last two fingers are in mid-air and I find it cute" she laughs. 

"Oh" I laughed too.

"Is that how you do it in central Merley? Like you hold the spoon like that?" She never runs out of smiles.

"Oh no, they do not. It is just me" I laugh.

We both have a laugh and I asked Maura to come and join me finish my mushroom soup because I am worried that she might sacrificed her meal for me. She fetched her own spoon and joined me finish my soup. I drink the glass of watermelon juice that she brought, I only consumed half of the glass and gave it to Maura, she seems like she's hungry. 

Maura and I had a little chat about her personal life, she actually works as a shopkeeper in a flower shop in Berkeley, she had no parents to work for her so she and her brother works hard to sustain their life. I am completely amazed by her story. We were in the middle of the chat when Lucas, the guy from last night went inside the room.

"Hey" Maura greeted him.

"Hey" he said. "Good thing you are already awake, I saw you freezing beside the lake and brought you here since I do not know where you live and you passed out".

"Uhh....that is very kind of you, thank you so much" I said.

"My name is Lucas" he hands out his palm for a shake.

"I am Made-" 

"Madeline....I know" I grabbed his hand and shake. This town has a fettish for hand shakes and everyone loves it but not me.

"I have brought us bread" he said cheerfully. "Let's go in the living room and listen to the radio while eating"

"Oh she can not stand because she still feels weak" Maura said wistfully. 

"No, I actually regained my strength because of that lovely soup" I said.

"Are you sure?" Lucas makes sure.

"Yes, a hundred percent sure" I said. I smiled at him and he hands out his arm for assistance, I grab hold of his arm for support. Just to make sure I do not stumble on the floor. 

The living room was actually made up of chiseled marble and cream-painted walls. There is a firepit in the middle of the room adjacent to the door that we are in and a big round purple rug in the middle of the room, covering most of the living room. There are two cushioned seats on each sides of the room, one is blue and one is pink. On top of the firepit there is an engraved stone figured carved on the frame of the firepit. On the topshelf are picture frames with happy faces, where Lucas and Maura had their parents with them. That is the centerpiece of the shelf, on its side are smaller frames which shows their individual photos. On the left side of the room there is a door, inches from the door bookshelves were set up leaning to the wall. And another door is found at the right side of the room adjacent to the door on the left side. 

We went out of the room, the flame sittung on the firepit fills the room with the right heat. As I step out of the room, there is a path leading I do not know where on the side of the door that we just walked out from.

Maura slams her body on the pink cushioned couch, she lets out a sigh of relief. Lucas lead me on the blue couch and turned on the radio. He opens his bag and reveals a two loaf breads.

"I am sorry, these are the only ones that I can afford" he lets out a shy smile.

"No, I am perfectly fine with it" I smiled. 

He gives the other whole loaf bread to Maura, and he divides his loaf bread into two unequal parts. He takes the quarter of the bread and gives the other part to me.

"No, I can it is okay if I have the smaller part, this is too much of you" I said.

"No, you need to regain your strenghth" he said. "I already had my dinner at the bakery"

I am fascinated on how these people are so down to earth, I wish my family could be like this. I wish everyone in Merley lives like this. As we eat the bread, we listen to the radio broadcast, the man in speaking in the radio was quite vague because the signal here is not that good. Lucas pats the radio hard in hope that it will sound better. Gladly, it worked. He tuned it on a radio their favorite radio drama. 

Lucas listens seriously at the radio drama. I stare at him while leaning on the other side of the couch. I watch his blue eyes focusing on the purple rug. And then he giggles. 

"Dr.Rocketman and His cats are very funny" he said. 

"It sure is" Maura said. "I feel sleepy" she yawns and flexes her arms and legs. "You can stay here anytune you want Madeline, I hope you feel comfortable here"

"Of course. Thank you so much for being kind and warm" I said.

"Good night everyone" she smiles and went to her room.

Lucas is still listening to the radio drama. He looks very tired.

"I saw you last night and you were making faces" he laughs then quiets down.

"That was so embarassing".

"You look ravishing last night" he said. He looks at me like he is surveying my face, I can not help it but I feel like my cheeks are red now "You look cute when you are blushing".

"T-thanks" I said. 

He stands up and tunes the radio to a music station. At this point of the night only jazz music are the only ones being played on air. He sits infront of the firepit. I stood up and sat close to him. 

"You know, If man's life is like a fire we would not survive long, we need wood to live, and woods are limited. If we were both flames right now we will be competing on what to burn in order to grow" he said.

"But if man is a droplet of water we would be very useful to everything else, we can travel wherever we want, we can nourish the plants around us but the most important thing is we are the source of life". He added.

"Wow....that was deep" I said. "But what if man is about to face a big burning flame?" 

"We should always remember that no evil or something harmful lasts in this planet, we are created to help and we were put together for our enrichment. But not everyone seems to understand that" he said.

"I know" I am fascinated by what he said. My heart is pleased to hear those kinds of thoughts.

"Do you want to sleep? It is getting late" he asked.

"Yeah" 

"Come on and let us get you to your room" he smiles and holds my wrist gently as we walk to my room. He extends his arm and lets out an effort to turn the knob. The door opened and a cool mist of air blew through my cheeks. 

"Good night" I said. 

"Good night" he said. "Sweet Dreams" he lets out a huge smile and he closes the door.


End file.
